Identifying skills gap, nurturing talent and filling vacant positions through Learning & Development (L&D) and HR interventions is a critical priority for the success and growth of any organization. However, in a world where agility is critical and readiness is an absolute must, the value of having a sustainable talent pipeline that consistently identifies and prepares talent to address the present as well as the future business needs of the organization cannot be overstated.
Leveraging L&D to the fullest
to cater to new paradigms of business (e.g. remote working) will go a long way
in ensuring continuous professional development for employees, new managers and
future ready leaders. After all, L&D is not only about training the
workforce for tasks at hand anymore, it’s now about building a culture that
takes the strategy one step forward.
Speaking of step, here are the key
steps to building a sustainable talent pipeline:
Step 1: Align talent management with business strategy
“Channelizing the energy of your talent
towards the business strategy is a stepping stone to success.”
Aligned to the
company’s strategy and objective, define measurable business targets.
Create KPIs for
the targets as per job function, breaking them down further within each
function as per team and individual.
- Get
senior management buy-in
Back your efforts
with the support of top management. Not only does it facilitate employee
buy-in, it also helps in maximizing the success.
Step 2: Address talent gaps through internal development
“Talent today may not be talent
tomorrow. Constant, non-stop development is the key to growth.”
- Take a
deep dive into people analytics
Get visibility
into the internal talent pool for effective career pathing, performance,
succession planning, and skill-building.
Invest in employee
upskilling, re-skilling and capability development programs through learning
platforms and content libraries.
Step 3:Optimize performance calibration
“Every few months, skills needed
for the same job may change. Calibrate and re-calibrate.”
- Drive
performance culture
At the crux of business success is
the performance of individuals and teams, and governing this is the overarching
culture of performance. So lay the foundation first.
- Use
technology to shorten the calibration cycle
Leverage technology to get business
intelligence and calibrate your performance metrics swiftly and
accurately.
- Empower
workforce to take control of their own growth
Personalized learning and training
put the learners in the driver seat while aligning their efforts to the
performance outcome.
Step 4: Be agile
“Business context is changing at an
unprecedented rate. Gives no time to stop, think and prepare.”
- Keep your
ears to the ground
The key to performance management
is staying in sync with the technological, industry and business disruptions.
- Make
training interventions proactive, not reactive
Having the foresight to technology
evolution helps in future-proofing your training interventions, which in turn
helps in planning for the right training at the right time.
Instead of setting a talent
development strategy in stone, keep it flexible to accommodate changes,
suggestions and iterations.
Join me for a webinar titled ‘L&D Readiness: How to Build a Sustainable Talent Pipeline’ on June 30th at 3 PM IST. In this one-hour interactive session, Anita Chhabria, Deputy General Manager, International HR-Gulf Oil, and I will explore the what, the why and the how of L&D readiness, and how successful organizations focus on succession planning with HR interventions through L&D programs at mid, junior and senior levels. Register Now (All attendees will receive a complimentary handbook on L&D Readiness post the webinar)
Amit Gautam
